When repairing a damaged vehicle, restoring its original dimensions is tried as well as possible. For this purpose, dimensions of measuring points on various sides of the vehicle i.e. distances of measuring points to specific datum points have been measured from undamaged vehicles. The accurate values of length, width and height of these measuring points have been measured and saved in files. These dimensions are utilised when repairing the vehicle. If accurate dimensions are available and they can be utilised, it is easier to repair a damaged vehicle.
There exist measuring devices by which measuring points of vehicles and distances between them are measured. Most measuring devices known recently measure only distances and cannot measure height. Those devices, which include a height measuring function, employ either a mechanical or electronic spirit level or equivalent technique. Then, the measuring device, such as a pair of compasses, is first set on a calibrated datum plane in relation to the inclination of the vehicle, after which the height is measured by moving a measuring head in the vertical direction to the target being measured. An example of such a device is described in patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,335 (Holec et al.). A height value measured in a way described in the specification is often inaccurate and, as a whole, measuring is slow and awkward. The above technique also prerequisites that the vehicle is on a relatively even base i.e. inclination in relation to the ground is small. Utilising this technique, it is not possible to measure dimensions between measuring points having great height differences, such as e.g. from the top edge of the windshield to the rear corner of the front wing.
The object of this invention is to introduce a method and a device for measuring a vehicle by means of which disadvantages related to recent methods and devices are eliminated. Furthermore, an object of the invention is to introduce a method and a device by which a height value can be measured quickly and reliably. A particular object of the invention is to introduce a method and a device by which distance and height difference between the measuring points of a vehicle can be measured.